FTI Consulting
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FTI Consulting is a large public relations company, headquartered in the United States, with a long history of working with the tobacco industry.
Background
The company globally employs circa 4600 employees and has offices in 28 countries, including offices in London, Stirling, and Brussels.1
Employees: Past and Present
- Alex Deane joined FTI consulting in 2014 and is Senior Managing Director and Head of UK Public Affairs in the London office.23
- Daniel Hamilton joined FTI consulting in 2015 and is Managing Director Strategic Communications in the London office.45
Deane and Hamilton previously worked together at Big Brother Watch and Bell Pottinger.
Relationship with the Tobacco Industry
Tobacco Company Clients
In the United Kingdom, FTI Consulting has worked with:
- Imperial Tobacco (2016 – 2018)2678
- British American Tobacco (2015 – 2018)6789 Among other things, FTI Consulting handled BAT’s communications at the time of BAT’s merger with US company Reynolds American (holding company of RJ Reynolds) in January 2017.1011
- Fontem Ventures (2015 – 2016)79
Provided Technical Support to Tobacco Industry in Master Settlement Arbitrations
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, FTI Consulting provided services to the legal team of four US tobacco companies (Philip Morris Inc., Lorillard, RJ Reynolds and Brown and Williamson) in Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) arbitrations across several US states.1213
The original Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) was agreed in November 1998 between four tobacco companies and the Attorney Generals of 46 states that had sued the tobacco companies over healthcare costs caused by tobacco consumption. Following the MSA, each state entered into arbitration, separate from the MSA, which determined the reimbursement states would receive from the tobacco companies in relation to the external legal fees states had incurred during the lawsuits.14
FTI Consulting supplied charts, graphics, and video to support the tobacco companies’ cases.15
The share each company paid towards FTI Consulting’s fees was based on market share. For example, Lorillard contributed US$2,445.49 to FTI Consulting’s work “on the Ohio arbitration”.16 Overall, Lorillard contributed more than US$150,000 to FTI’s fees in the year 2000.1718